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If Two Matrices Have the Same Rank, Are They Row-Equivalent?
If $A, B$ have the same rank, can we conclude that they are row-equivalent?
If so, then prove it. If not, then provide a counterexample.
Solution.
Having the same rank does not mean they are row-equivalent.
For a simple counterexample, consider $A = […]

Find the Rank of a Matrix with a Parameter
Find the rank of the following real matrix.
\[ \begin{bmatrix}
a & 1 & 2 \\
1 &1 &1 \\
-1 & 1 & 1-a
\end{bmatrix},\]
where $a$ is a real number.
(Kyoto University, Linear Algebra Exam)
Solution.
The rank is the number of nonzero rows of a […]

Find All 3 by 3 Reduced Row Echelon Form Matrices of Rank 1 and 2
(a) Find all $3 \times 3$ matrices which are in reduced row echelon form and have rank 1.
(b) Find all such matrices with rank 2.
Solution.
(a) Find all $3 \times 3$ matrices which are in reduced row echelon form and have rank 1.
First we look at the rank 1 case. […]